Search This Blog

Posts

Look, I can be a big grump when it comes to smart phones and cell phones. My husband and I use our cell phones (no landline) but they are very basic and not "smart" by any stretch of the imagination. They don't even send or receive picture messages properly. That's fine with us. I get irked when I see people--especially my students--being fully absorbed by whatever is on their phone screen instead of interacting with the rest of the world. I want to avoid a smart phone as long as possible, because I know I'd get sucked into its hypnotic power just the same as everyone else. I know that basic phones someday will go the way of cassette tapes, mimeographs, and dial up internet, but for now I'm sticking with my "dumb" phone.
Yet there is one thing that I am thankful that has arisen from cell phone technology being what it is: it has made being generous more of a knee-jerk reaction in times of crisis. There are so many ways that you can donate mon…

I’m sure you’ve seen the t-shirts that say, “College: the
best seven years of my life.” Usually those shirts are meant to denote frat
boys or girls who took a little extra time with college because they were
partying too hard.Well, Allen could
wear that t-shirt truly, but for a far different reason.He’s been in college for seven years, but it
hasn’t been on account of too many games of beer pong and not enough time in
class.Allen is the quintessential
picture of a man who has worked his way through school.For a while he was able to go full time,
taking as many credits as he could, but there were semesters and even years
where part time was all he could manage.Why?He was also working full
time to support himself.I was
privileged to go to a four year private school with a hefty price tag (although
of course I’m still paying it off and will be for several more years), and I
had the full college experience.Lived
in a dorm every year, went to dances and parties, participated in sports and …